Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by davidchollar:

3.7/5rDev n/alook: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Kirin Enjuku Kuro. Another happoshu, but a strong dark one, (kuro means black). Impressive looking happoshu here. The head is similar to the pale Enjuku, fast and fizzy, but perhaps a little better retention and of course there's the nearly black body. Just translucent when held to the light, this is pretty good-looking.

Oh my god, there is something in the smell, other than adjuncts. Wait, it's probably a trick, different adjuncts. Anyway, this is not your typical Japanese near-beer! Nice, wheaty, malty smell here could possibly be mistaken for a number of other, European styles.

The taste is not so hot. Brings me back to earth, oh yeah, this is happoshu. But a pretty good one. Again, like the regular Enjuku, it's got a nice all around flavor, highly drinkable. Believe the hype! Check it out. We may have a winner here, best cheap "beer" in Japan.

A-There was no head at all after a second or two, and absolutely no lacing. The color was a dark caramel deal, and overall it reminded me of coca-cola.S-All tin and sulfur. Neither my drinking partner not myself could detect anything else.T-Very sweet and caramely. The finish had a hint of wheat in it with a lingering and pleasurable dry sensation. Definitely a lot more adjuncts than barley in this one.M-I'm gonna say dead average on this one. Nothing remarkable or otherwise about it.D-Very drinkable, although I wouldn't pick it out myself. If someone stopped by with a six pack, I could finish off my half without complaining.

The big problem is that "kuro" is synonymous with stout, so a drinker looking for a creative low-malt take on stout will be very disappointed by the fact that this is "usui" like any other happoshu.

Nice dark brown body is let down by a rapidly fading off-white head. Sweet malty aroma, with some mild nut and caramel flavours going on. Taste has some cocoa and caramel sweetness and a touch of leafy hops. Fairly soft in the mouth, and with a refreshing crispness from the steady stream of bubbles. Light body and medium-high carbonation.

Well first of all, you have to understand that this is strictly not a "beer" according to Japanese definitions. If the malt content is less than 67%, then in Japan the brew is defined as a "happoshu".

In fact this beer contains less than 25% malt. Yet, it tastes malty. So, what the heck is it made from ?! Who knows ?! And I think I'd like to know. There seems to be a growing market in Japan for non-malt beers (containing e.g. Soy, non-malted barely, wheat etc), that do not attract as much tax as full malt beers. So, they are cheaper, maybe 60% or less of a beer price.

In taste terms, this one is reminiscent of a classic British Mild. But even though it is called Kuro (Black), it is not - its more like a very dark brown, as you'd see when you get near the end of the glass. Its nothing like a stout or porter, and is sweet, though not off-puttingly so, and carries a hint of caramel. Its 6%, and being used to Milds, I'd have guessed it was more like 3.6 % !!!